Judg 11:32-33 | KingComments | STEP | Before Jephthah actually engages in battle, he does something that is not necessary. He enters into a kind of agreement with God and thereby commits himself to do something the consequences of which he does not anticipate. With this he indicates that he neither knows God nor himself well. From Jacob we read something similar ( ). Jephthah, who has shown an excellent knowledge of the history of God’s people, does not learn any lessons from what Jacob has done. By making a vow he, like Jacob, actually negotiates with God, indicating that he does not unconditionally trust God. By making a vow he, like Jacob, considers himself capable of doing what he promised without taking into account the real content of his vow. He has been too quick in entering into this agreement with God. If he had thought for a moment, he could hardly have expected an ox or a sheep to come and meet him from his house. He is guilty of a vow made too quickly. There are several warnings for this in Scripture ( ; ). There are also good vows made in the Bible, such as the vow of Hanna ( ). This is a vow that comes from a good spiritual mind and is made with a view to the honor to which God is entitled in the midst of His people. Hanna longs for that and wishes her child to be the instrument for it. God gives Jephthah a victory of great magnitude and has convincingly fulfilled His part of the agreement. The message of the victory is quickly spread and when Jephthah arrives home, his daughter meets him. She is his one and only child. This is reminiscent of what God says to Abraham about his son Isaac: “Your son, your only son, whom you love” ( ). Jephthah’s reaction is heartbreaking. He has not forgotten his vow. He suddenly realizes the disastrous consequences of his ill-considered speaking. It seems that he first of all blames his daughter for having to fulfill his vow in this way. He reproaches her for meeting him first from his house and reproaches her for plunging him into misfortune. The vow he has made is irrevocable to him. He cannot come back to it, at least this is not possible for him. Leviticus 5 mentions a possibility to return to his rash words and confess them as sin ( ). However, he must then bring a trespass offering ( ). That he doesn’t do this, shows something of Jephthah’s character. On the one hand it shows that he is a man of character. He stands for his words. On the other hand, it shows that he is a man of inflexible principles. Then we see someone in Jephthah who is not prepared to lose face. This characterizes many legal people. The consistent attitude of these people can command respect as long as they apply this attitude to themselves. However, as soon as they impose their principles on others, they cause a lot of damage to the other. They sometimes sacrifice wife and children to be able to live up to their statements. They cause a lot of mental damage to their relatives because they don’t want to revoke the vows made too quickly because of their fear of losing face. The next chapter will confirm this character trait of Jephthah. It is remarkable, however, that the Bible itself does not make a statement about Jephthah’s actions. What is said about this is an application. In addition, it is unclear whether Jephthah literally sacrificed his daughter, or whether it means that she has remained unmarried. This will be discussed in the next section. In the daughter of Jephthah a beautiful mind comes to light. She submits herself completely to her father and makes no attempt to change his mind. She urges him to fulfill his vow, even at the expense of herself. In this she is a beautiful type of Christ Who also completely submitted to the way He had to go in obedience to His Father. In the history of Genesis 22 we see the same reference to the Lord Jesus in Isaac.

‏ Judges 11:32-33

The Vow of Jephthah

Before Jephthah actually engages in battle, he does something that is not necessary. He enters into a kind of agreement with God and thereby commits himself to do something the consequences of which he does not anticipate. With this he indicates that he neither knows God nor himself well. From Jacob we read something similar (Gen 28:20-22). Jephthah, who has shown an excellent knowledge of the history of God’s people, does not learn any lessons from what Jacob has done.

By making a vow he, like Jacob, actually negotiates with God, indicating that he does not unconditionally trust God. By making a vow he, like Jacob, considers himself capable of doing what he promised without taking into account the real content of his vow. He has been too quick in entering into this agreement with God. If he had thought for a moment, he could hardly have expected an ox or a sheep to come and meet him from his house. He is guilty of a vow made too quickly. There are several warnings for this in Scripture (Pro 20:25; Ecc 5:2).

There are also good vows made in the Bible, such as the vow of Hanna (1Sam 1:11). This is a vow that comes from a good spiritual mind and is made with a view to the honor to which God is entitled in the midst of His people. Hanna longs for that and wishes her child to be the instrument for it.

God gives Jephthah a victory of great magnitude and has convincingly fulfilled His part of the agreement. The message of the victory is quickly spread and when Jephthah arrives home, his daughter meets him. She is his one and only child. This is reminiscent of what God says to Abraham about his son Isaac: “Your son, your only son, whom you love” (Gen 22:2).

Jephthah’s reaction is heartbreaking. He has not forgotten his vow. He suddenly realizes the disastrous consequences of his ill-considered speaking. It seems that he first of all blames his daughter for having to fulfill his vow in this way. He reproaches her for meeting him first from his house and reproaches her for plunging him into misfortune.

The vow he has made is irrevocable to him. He cannot come back to it, at least this is not possible for him. Leviticus 5 mentions a possibility to return to his rash words and confess them as sin (Lev 5:4-5). However, he must then bring a trespass offering (Lev 5:6). That he doesn’t do this, shows something of Jephthah’s character. On the one hand it shows that he is a man of character. He stands for his words. On the other hand, it shows that he is a man of inflexible principles. Then we see someone in Jephthah who is not prepared to lose face.

This characterizes many legal people. The consistent attitude of these people can command respect as long as they apply this attitude to themselves. However, as soon as they impose their principles on others, they cause a lot of damage to the other. They sometimes sacrifice wife and children to be able to live up to their statements. They cause a lot of mental damage to their relatives because they don’t want to revoke the vows made too quickly because of their fear of losing face. The next chapter will confirm this character trait of Jephthah.

It is remarkable, however, that the Bible itself does not make a statement about Jephthah’s actions. What is said about this is an application. In addition, it is unclear whether Jephthah literally sacrificed his daughter, or whether it means that she has remained unmarried. This will be discussed in the next section.

In the daughter of Jephthah a beautiful mind comes to light. She submits herself completely to her father and makes no attempt to change his mind. She urges him to fulfill his vow, even at the expense of herself. In this she is a beautiful type of Christ Who also completely submitted to the way He had to go in obedience to His Father. In the history of Genesis 22 we see the same reference to the Lord Jesus in Isaac.